Harshika
A feminine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "joy" or "delight".
Name Census estimates that about 69 living Americans carry the first name Harshika. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Harshika today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Harshika births was 2013 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Harshika. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Harshika. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
69
~ 1 in 4,967,454 Americans
Peak year
2013
11 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2018 SSA rank
#11,803
Tracked since 2009
Popularity
Harshika: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Harshika from the 2000s through to the 2010s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 63 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Harshika by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Harshika during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Harshika
The name Harshika has its origins in Sanskrit, one of the oldest Indo-Aryan languages that emerged in ancient India during the 2nd millennium BCE. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "harsha," meaning joy, happiness, or delight. The name is believed to have first appeared in Hindu scriptures and ancient texts from the Indian subcontinent.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Harshika can be found in the Mahabharata, a ancient Indian epic poem composed around the 8th century BCE. In the text, Harshika is mentioned as a goddess associated with joy and happiness. This association with divine entities suggests that the name was revered and held in high regard in ancient Hindu culture.
During the medieval period, the name Harshika gained popularity among the ruling classes and nobility in various parts of the Indian subcontinent. One notable historical figure was Harshika Devi, a powerful queen who ruled over the Chahamana dynasty in present-day Rajasthan, India, in the 12th century CE. She was known for her military prowess and for expanding the kingdom's territories.
Another prominent individual bearing the name Harshika was a renowned Sanskrit scholar and poet who lived in the 9th century CE. Her works, including the famous poem "Raghavapandaviya," were widely acclaimed and contributed to the preservation of Sanskrit literature during that era.
In more recent times, Harshika Shukla was a celebrated Indian classical dancer and choreographer who lived from 1917 to 2012. She was awarded the prestigious Padma Bhushan, one of India's highest civilian honors, for her contributions to the field of Kathak dance.
Harshika Poonacha, born in 1990, is a contemporary Indian tennis player who has represented India in various international tournaments and has achieved notable rankings in both singles and doubles competitions.
While the name Harshika has its roots in ancient India, its meaning and positive connotations with joy and happiness have made it a popular choice across different regions and cultures over time.
People
Harshika + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Harshika as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with H
Other first names starting with H with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Harshika: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Harshika?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 69 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Harshika going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 4,967,454 US residents.
Is Harshika a common name?
We classify Harshika as "Very Rare". It ranks above 59.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 70 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Harshika most popular?
The single biggest year for Harshika was 2013, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Harshika is about 12 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Harshika a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Harshika in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.